1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to solar energy conversion units and more particularly to that class generating compressed air and providing captures condensed moisture from within the air.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art abounds with solar energy power plants. U.S. Pat. No. 3,070,703 issued on Dec. 25, 1962 to W. H. Podolny teaches a solar energy absorber utilized to operate a boiler which in turn operates a turbine driven electric generator. The generator provides electrical power to an electrolysis tank whose outputs supply gaseous oxygen and hydrogen, which may be stored separately in tanks. When desired, the oxygen and hydrogen is fed to a fuel cell which provides electrical energy.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,942,411 issued on June 28, 1960 to LeRoi E. Hutchings discloses a solar energy operated boiler providing high pressure stream which in turn operates a turbine and a gas compressor providing compressed air outputs and a condensate output which in turn fills a water reservoir used to provide water makeup to the solar boiler. The air pressure is stored at low and high pressure levels within the storage tanks each being used to provide motive power to a motor driven electric generator.
Each of the aforementioned Patents suffer from the common deficiency of utilizing a quantity of diverse apparatus each changing the state of the medium of stored energy and each changing the type of energy from the point at which energy conversion occurs at the solar heated apparatus to the point within the apparatus that energy is stored.